AlfaProfitGen Blog

If you’re a business owner, you need to be aware of the fact that 80% of consumers are now trying to find local business information online. Because of that, all across America a similar scene is playing out:

People are finding a thick book- the Yellow Pages- near their front door. In the old days they would take this thick, heavy book out of the plastic bag it arrived in and find a place for the book on a shelf somewhere. (If they have a dog, the plastic bag then is used for dispensing of dog poo during a walk).

Then they would take out the old book and hopefully drive to a public shopping center parking lot where a recycling bin is located. This scenario is played out a few times throughout the year depending on the size of the city they live in (various area yellow books are delivered several times during the year in big cities).

But something interesting has taken place over the past 2-3 years. Many Americans are bypassing a step in the detailed process mentioned above. I do it. My friends are doing it, and many of my neighbors are now doing it.

That beloved Yellow book that we’ve been referring to our entire lives is now going straight to the recycle bin (us dog owners are still saving the plastic bag though!).

With so many Americans now conducting their local business search online, they just don’t need that big yellow book anymore.

And it isn’t just the Yellow Pages that we’re not paying attention to. Have you taken a look at the classifieds in your local newspaper (that is if you still get the newspaper)? There’s not much to them these days.

How about the direct mailings and flyers you get? Do you even look at them? I tend to pay a little more attention to these because I still find current local business discounts or information that is useful. But for the most part, they find their way into the trash rather quickly.

The point (or question) is this: With so many people- consumers- now searching online for information concerning local businesses, why on earth would a business continue to advertise and pay full prices for other forms of advertising?

Answer 1: There is still a percentage of people- mostly the older generation- searching for information in media forms such as the Yellow Pages, the newspaper, direct mailings, etc. There is business to be found.

Answer 2: Not all consumers are comfortable yet trying to locate information online.

Answer 3: Few businesses really know how to effectively market their websites online so they end up advertising like they always have.

Obviously for those businesses not getting the online presence they need, they have to figure it out soon, because the number of consumers who will find local business information online is only going up. Fortunately there are many online services that can help them with SEO instructions.

If you found this article by Jeff Schuman about how consumers find local business information to be informative please visit our local business website today. Learn how you can use local business marketing to rank highly on search engines and get more traffic to your small business website.
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To Thrive In A Changing Marketplace A Local Business Must Adapt
When a local business loses touch with what’s going on within its industry and also with its customers that’s a recipe for disaster. If you can’t sufficiently meet the needs of your customers and struggle to provide the goods and services that are currently in demand, you won’t survive in the business climate of today.

It’s all about surviving and thriving which is similar to evolution in the animal kingdom. The animals that adapt best to changing climates and find ways to overcome obstacles are the ones that advance and prosper.

It’s no different in the business world. A successful local business must be very aware of what’s going on within its industry as much as what’s going on in their neighborhood. Your most loyal customers will have to make a decision about whether to stay with you or go to your competitor if you don’t keep up with the changes.

A business survey taken a few years ago sought to determine the reasons why customers discontinue giving its business to companies. The reasons ranged from them dying (3%) to being displeased with how employees treated them (68%).

And in the middle this reason stands out: 14% of customers leave because they’re dissatisfied with a company’s goods or services. In other words, if the products or services you’re selling don’t meet your customer’s needs they will find your competitor who does take care of them.

This doesn’t mean that you have to abandon everything that got you to where you are but that you must offer alternatives to keep up with the times. You must also be very aware of what you’re competitors are doing.

I recently visited a unique candle store in a tourist town in the mountains. It was a cold winter day just before the busy season and the town felt like a ghost town. When I asked the store’s owner how business was, he surprised me with this answer: he’s keeping very busy.

He noticed my somewhat startled reaction and explained that store sales are just a small percentage of his overall sales during the winter. His biggest business comes from online sales. He makes sure that every store customer has his website information and collects customer data from online visitors.

By doing this he keeps in touch with his customers via email- giving them information on new products and about upcoming sales and discounts. So instead of having to close his shop during the winter he now stays very busy with his mail order business.

He went on to say that this all came about when he realized a few years ago that more and more of his customers were shopping online and that his competition was selling via the internet. Even though he was “old school” he knew that he could either adapt and join this new movement or possibly go the way of the dinosaur.

Summary: A local business can stay very busy and relative if they adapt to changes and strive to meet their customer’s needs. By doing so, they may find opportunities that they didn’t realize were available to them.

If you enjoyed this article about how a local local business must adapt please visit our local business website today. Read our free review on hands off local business marketing using easy local seo to rank highly on search engines and get more traffic to your small business website.